Major cities are canceling New Year's Eve celebrations in the wake of recent terrorist attacks

A
worker dismantles equipment that would have been used to
celebrate New Year in central Brussels, December 31, 2015.
Authorities in the Belgian capital Brussels on Wednesday called
off the city's traditional New Year's Eve fireworks display,
citing fears of a militant attack.Reuters/Francois Lenoir

In the shadow of horrific terrorist attacks in Paris and San
Bernardino, several major cities have canceled their New Year's
Eve celebrations.

Brussels and Paris have scrapped their fireworks displays
entirely, while much of Europe will welcome 2016 in a subdued
fashion.

Belgium canceled official festivities on Wednesday in
its capital due to significant risk of
a terrorist act,
Bloomberg reported.

The termination of Brussels' fireworks came as police detained
eight suspects and members of a motorcycle club called the
Kamikaze Riders in connection with a New
Year’s Eve plot, IBTimes UK
reported.

Belgium remains at the core of the investigation
surrounding the November 13 Paris attacks that left 130
people dead after two of the suicide bombers, Brahim Abdeslam and
Bilal Hadfi, were tied to Brussels.

Grief-stricken Paris has also canceled its main
fireworks display. A smaller celebration,
however, involving a five-minute video
performance shown on screens along Champs-Élysées
will still take place, Sky News reported.

Approximately 600,000 people typically
gather around the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe,
and Champs-Élysées to ring in the new year, according
to Sky News.

While Turkey has yet to cancel festivities, the
nation remains on high alert after authorities found suicide vests and
bombs during a raid
on two suspected
ISIS militantsbelieved to have
crossed into Turkey from Syria.

Despite
threats, however, some cities kept celebrations as
planned.

On
Thursday, Emanuel Lutchman, a 25-year-old man
who planned to attack a restaurant in New York, on New Year's
Eve was detained and charged with attempting to
provide material support to ISIS.

According to the Justice Department,
Lutchman purchased two black ski masks, zip-ties, two
knives, a machete, duct tape, ammonia, and latex gloves for the
planned attack.

US Attorney
William J. Hochul Jr. of the Western District of New York had a
message for others who may be planning to provide support
to ISIS: "You will be caught, you will be prosecuted, and
you will be punished."